*Crackle!*

Another layer of bone armor was torn off, and a look of panic appeared on Clown's face. In my experience, this is a sign that the long battle is nearing its end. However, just as I was about to bring down my mace with all my might, a cool breeze blew from somewhere on the side.

*Ears!*

[Ervena Fornassi di Tercia has taken more damage than allowed. [Elementalization] Complete]

My body instantly felt lighter. My skin, which looked like a stone, returned to its original state. My hearing was activated sensitively, like that of a wary animal.

*Fuzz!*

I heard something fall behind me.

"Ervena!"

Daria's heart-rending scream soon followed.

This was enough to understand the current situation. Ervena had been attacked, which meant that the Elemental Barbarian Mode had ended.

If so, for what reason?

Before I had time to turn my head in the direction from which the wind came, I saw the answer.

"Haha, Mr. Necrapeto. You don't look your best.

He was an elderly man with the appearance of an exemplary magician: lush gray hair, a white beard, and good features.

Scientist of Destruction.

He's here.

Already have? How? What happened to Kyle?

At the moment when I was faced with this fact, many questions arose, but...

*Whoosh*

I tried to drive them away. In a split second, my subconscious made a decision, and I continued to swing my hand.

If not now... There will be no other opportunity.

The Elemental Barbarian Mode ended.

Since I couldn't block the poison anymore, if I missed this opportunity, I would have to face Clown and this old man at the same time, so...

"You're in a hurry.

Bloody hell.

My left arm fails, and the mace falls to the ground.

*Boom!*

A red light pierced my wrist.

I'm really going to go crazy. What kind of crazy blow...?

There was no time for activation at all. This meant that for the Scholar of Destruction, the spell he had just used was no different from a basic offensive spell like [Magic Arrow].

An ordinary blow of this caliber pierced through my body when the Elemental Barbarian Mode ended and the Magic Resistance was restored?

No, I'll think about it later.

I erased the questions again, because I didn't have time for that now.

Dropped the mace? Then you will have to use a shield.

Isn't it in the spirit of a civilized barbarian, if you have no teeth, to chew and swallow with your gums?!

*Smack!*

The moment I dropped the mace, I hit Clown in the face with my shield.

If one blow was not enough, then again.

*Smack!*

If they didn't calm me down twice, then again.

*Woom!*

When I was about to strike for the third time...

"What an interesting guy.

My body stopped, as if something invisible was pressing on my entire body with immense pressure.

"You said it yourself. I'm in a hurry.

I just rolled my eyes and looked in his direction. The Scientist of Destruction stared at me. His face seemed expressionless as usual, but it somehow seemed amusing, as if he had found something that piqued his curiosity.

"What's your name?"

So you're interested in me?!

"You can't be a nameless researcher, given what you've done to Mr. Necrapeto.

There was no malice in his voice.

— [He's already there...!?]

At this moment, Melter Fend's voice rang out from the Message Stone.

The Scientist of Destruction frowned, displeased at being interrupted.

"[Just wait. We'll be here soon-...]

*Fuzz!*

The Message Stone attached to my belt exploded.

What kind of mage is this? It wasn't like he waved his wand or anything, there wasn't even a characteristic movement of his hand to control the mana.

What was this old man's rank? I only heard that he was a rank 3 before his exile.

"You're not going to answer?"

"Bjorn, son of Yandel," I answered.

Since Fend would be here with the main force, I decided that I could stall for time by striking up a conversation.

"Nickname?"

"Little Balkans.

"Hmm, this is the first time I've heard it. Then what is your rank?

— ... A few months ago, I was promoted to Rank 5.

"Rank 5, huh?" It becomes a little more interesting for me.

The Scientist of Destruction looked at me with a glint in his eyes and made a movement with his hand using mana.

*Shaaaa!*

A multi-colored light burst out from the ground.

Oh, I know this magic.

This is a rank 5 unique magic [Earth Memory]. A spell that replays events that occurred in the specified area and shows them to the caster.

He easily uses even the unique magic of a completely different School.

[Earth Memory] is a unique magic of the Earth School.

As far as I have been able to ascertain, the Scholar of Destruction, prior to his exile, was affiliated with a school that practiced a completely different kind of magic.

"Pfft...

The Scientist of Destruction, who was reviewing the events, laughed softly.

"Now I see that you're a more interesting guy than I thought. I can't believe you said that to Mr. Necrapeto.

Did you say that?

I didn't know if he was talking about his looks or the "how small" comment, but it didn't matter.

"What happened to Kyle?"

It seemed that the interlocutor wanted to talk, so I also asked what I was interested in.

Surprisingly, he answered accommodatingly.

"This guy is alive. He is too valuable to die here.

— ... That is, you deliberately left him alive?

"He has achieved a lot thanks to his thirst for revenge. If he renounces even human feelings, he is likely to reach even greater heights.

As befits a sorcerer, he spoke fluently and eloquently, but I did not understand what he was talking about. How could that be a reason not to kill him? If the enemy has great potential, isn't that a reason to kill him?

I didn't say it out loud, but I think the question was conveyed by a look.

— An individual or a group, a friend or an enemy — what difference does it make? The Scientist of Destruction said. "As someone who wants to see the end of magic, I'm just wondering what kind of magic this guy will leave behind if he reaches this level.

"Even if it might kill you?"

"Don't worry. Climbing to the top, you need to discard everything unnecessary again and again. By then, he will have no human feelings left.

I just stopped trying to understand. People said that he was an old man who had gone mad with magic and had ceased to be human, and that was true. His way of thinking was completely different. But because of this, a hope was born in my soul, a faint hope that this peculiar way of thinking could save my life today.

"Well, let's end the conversation here. I overexerted myself a little today.

Only then did I realize that the Scholar of Destruction's beard was stained with blood. It looked like he had wiped them off, but the marks remained.

… This means that this senile man is also not in full strength.

Whatever the result, it was a positive factor.

"Thanks to you, I enjoyed it for the first time in a long time.

As I pondered this, the Scientist of Destruction spoke as if to bid me farewell.

"I still need Mr. Necrapeto, so I'll take him with me."

Being in a semi-conscious state from the blows of the shield, Clown's body soared into the air. Since my whole body was still, I had no choice but to watch. This caused mixed feelings in me. I really needed a little more time. Is it really going to end like this? Well, if he was going to let us go, it was still a good deal...

"You can die now."

Well, of course not.

*Shh*

Soon, the Scientist of Destruction stretched out his hand towards me, and an ominous red magical energy formed on it. I threw away all regrets. This was nothing new. It was always the same.

'Behellaaa

I have to fight if I want to live.

[You have used [Gigantization]]

Squeezing the last of my strength out of me, my warrior body increased in size again.

*Crack, crack, crack*

As I applied the force to my legs, I heard the immaterial mana that covered my body cracking. I expected this. After all, a magician is the embodiment of efficiency, right? Since his body wasn't in the best condition, I was sure that he was only using the minimum amount of mana necessary.

My body was finally free.

*Jerk*

I pushed off the ground and rushed towards the enemy.

"Yandel!! I see Yandel!!

I ran not in the direction from which my allies fled, but in the direction of the enemy.

*Top!*

The Scientist of Destruction looked at me curiously. He must have been wondering why I wasn't running away even though I had freed myself from the control effect, but that was only from this guy's point of view.

How long can I last with an MP who recovered in less than 10 minutes?

20 seconds, to be generous.

After that, [Gigantization] would end, so it was the best thing I could do at the moment.

*Top!*

I close the distance and approach Clown's body. The reason was simple. The old man, who seemed to be interested in nothing but magic, had just said:

"I still need Mr. Necrapeto, so I'll take him with me."

He still needed Clown. In other words, if I was around him, the Scientist of Destruction would not be able to use magic. Perhaps that's why he tried to take Clown with him.

— Wisely.

The crimson magic in the hand of the Scholar of Destruction was still there, but now it wasn't aimed at me.

"It would be a pity to just throw away the mana spent.

His open palm changed direction, aiming at my comrades.

*Flash!*

There was a flash of light, and a red sphere flew out of his palm.

And at this moment...

— [Бархатун Виар].

Dozens of stone walls were erected along the flight path. It was Raven's magic. No wonder she had been so quiet until now: she was secretly preparing a spell.

But it didn't mean much.

*Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!*

The red sphere flew at a tremendous speed, easily destroying the stone walls.

"Lie down!"

Like me, Mr. Bear covered everyone from above with his body and even summoned Iron Bear.

And at this moment...

*Boom!*

The orb exploded in mid-air, spewing out thousands of flames right in the middle between me and my comrades.

No not really.

"No!"

To be precise, right in the place where Ervena fell after interrupting [Elementalization].

As if that was his goal from the beginning.

*Shuuu!*

Like fireworks created with the help of computer graphics, many sparks flew out, and explosions followed one after another.

*Ears!*

A hot wind blew over my skin. But even at this moment, the Destruction Scholar's face didn't change, and he muttered in a calm voice.

"This girl was born with the greatest destiny after you.

I could not understand what he was talking about, but one thing was clear for sure. He really had his sights set on Ervena.

*Crackle*

My jaw hurt. It felt like someone had hit me on the back of the head with a huge blunt object.

Is Ervena really dead?

*Tudum!*

Blood gathered in his heart and paralyzed his mind. The more I thought about it, the more I thought about something else: what should I do to protect others?

I have to kill at least that bastard.

I reached out to Tricky's head, believing that my approaching allies would somehow deal with the Scientist of Destruction on their own.

*Blow!*

My shield hit the Clown's face again, but was he still conscious?

*Spat*

The clown splashed the blood that had accumulated in his mouth on my face.

*Chhhhhhh!*

There was a burning sound. I didn't feel any pain, but even through my dulled senses, I could feel something continuing to flow down. I somehow opened my eyes, but my vision was blurry.

[Hydra Venom]

His passive skill had a similar effect to [Acid Liquid], but was significantly different in terms of effectiveness. The corpses of suicide bombers were probably remade with his own blood. Of course, it didn't matter.

I stretched out my hand beyond the darkened view.

*Squeezed*

Fortunately, I grabbed him by the hair. That way I won't miss.

*Crunch*

Instead of using my punctured left arm, which was out of strength, I bit him like an animal.

"Ahh!"

I felt soft cartilage. Was it his ear?

*Spit*

Spit it out, I lowered my jaw even lower. I needed his neck. If I gnaw through the blood arteries leading to the brain, then even this bastard won't be able to survive...

"You really are a beast.

There were unpleasant emotions in his voice.

*Colic!*

Something sharp cut through my right arm. For the first time in a long time, I felt pain. Maybe that's why the corners of my lips lifted.

"I think I know now why barbarians are called savages. Each of you is simply not yourself.

The Scientist of Destruction asked:

"Aren't you afraid of death?"

This guy knew nothing about barbarians. They were not fearless creatures. They simply learned to overcome fear and move on with their lives, because there was no other choice. They could only laugh and choose the only option. They were called savages. But these were people who fought alone. For this, they were called warriors.

[Your Soul Force is not enough. [Gigantization] Complete]

At this time, [Gigantization] ended.

"Kha!"

With nothing to grab onto, my body was thrown back. It rolled in a circle.

Maybe because I've been in a lot of dog fights, but I had no problem getting up naturally, even if I couldn't see.

The problem was the loss of direction.

— Impressive.

Here you are.

*Jerk*

I rushed towards the voice.

*Blow!*

Something pierced my stomach, but at that moment a warm energy enveloped me.

*Shaaaa!*

It was a divine power.

"Yandel!" Save Yandel!

I heard the voice of the dwarf Teterud, whom I had previously sent to help Melter Fend. He was already very close.

"Belbev Ruingenes!"

I also heard Kyle's voice, amplified by magic. He was full of anger and shouted out the real name of the Destruction Scholar.

*Bach!*

Something exploded right in front of me. Had he stepped back to avoid this?

"In the end, this guy did come. If I had known it was going to happen, I wouldn't have started the conversation.

The voice of the Scholar of Destruction rang out a little further.

"You know what?" I wasn't dismissive. It's just that for the first time in a long time, my calculation did not come true. I thought that was enough time.

His voice was still calm.

— Well, it was like that from the very beginning. Because I thought that no one would come up.

The bastard's voice became more distant and weaker.

"Congratulations." With the only victory.

After that, I didn't hear that voice again. From that moment on, my blurred vision darkened. Not even a glimmer of light penetrated the retinas of his eyes. It felt like I was alone in the universe.

*Top!*

At that moment, I felt that someone was approaching me, and unconsciously waved my severed hand.

*Boom*

It was stopped in the middle, but the counterattack I feared did not follow.

"It's me," I heard Teterud's voice. "My friend... It's over...

And.

"So... Now rest.

And... And what about Ervena...?

I wanted to ask something, but the voice did not come.

*Fell*

Today was such a long day. This was the end of my memories.